(CNN) - Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill's 84-year-old mother, Betty Anne Ward McCaskill, died on Monday, the senator from Missouri said in a statement on Monday.

"For some time, mom's health has not been good, and our family takes comfort that she is now at rest," McCaskill wrote. "People all over the state have asked about her, and their prayers and concern have been greatly appreciated."FULL POST

The Republican congressman used the term "legitimate rape" in a Missouri television interview in August to describe what he explained was the process a woman's body goes through to shut down pregnancies in such cases.FULL POST

(CNN) - A new poll released Saturday indicates the contentious Senate race in Missouri between Sen. Claire McCaskill and Rep. Todd Akin is in a dead heat.

McCaskill, the Democratic incumbent, has the backing of 45% of likely voters in the state, compared to Akin's 43%, according to the Mason-Dixon poll commissioned by Missouri news outlets, including the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.FULL POST

(CNN) – Missouri Republican and Senate hopeful Rep. Todd Akin compared his Democratic opponent, incumbent Sen. Claire McCaskill, to a dog who plays "fetch" for higher taxes and regulations from Washington and brings them back to Missouri.

"She goes to Washington, D.C. and it's a little bit like one of those dogs, you know 'fetch,' and she goes to Washington, D.C. and gets all of these taxes and red tape and bureaucracy and executive orders and agencies and she brings all of this stuff and dumps it on us in Missouri," Akin said Saturday at a fund-raiser in Springfield, Missouri.

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(CNN) – Three victims of sexual assaults are featured in new political ads released Wednesday by Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill of Missouri, casting her opponent, Rep. Todd Akin, as a bad choice for women.

In August, Akin was widely lambasted by Democrats and Republicans alike after he suggested pregnancies only occur rarely in situations of "legitimate rape," saying the body has ways to "shut that whole thing down."FULL POST

(CNN) – Democratic Senator Claire McCaskill's campaign has released a new ad hitting Republican opponent Todd Akin for his conservative stance on contraception as a part of a statewide buy in Missouri.

The 30-second television spot, which began airing Saturday, depicts the six-term congressman as holding "extreme beliefs" and being out of touch with voters.FULL POST

(CNN) – Sen. Claire McCaskill fired back Friday at Rep. Todd Akin over his recent characterization of her as less "ladylike" in the pair’s current senatorial election than she was in her last, dismissing her Republican foe as an outlier even in right-wing circles.

"I was speechless," the senator said in an interview with MSNBC, referring to Akin’s latest comments. "I mean, this is somebody who does make Michele Bachmann look like a hippie. He is that far on the fringe."FULL POST

(CNN) - A consultant for Rep. Todd Akin likened the Senate candidate to David Koresh on Friday, saying Akin's ability to withstand GOP pressure to withdraw from the Missouri race was like the cult leader's resistance during the deadly 1993 standoff with federal authorities.

Consultant Kellyanne Conway said she has expressed her opinion to Akin "for a while now," adding Akin was successfully able to sustain the aftermath of his controversial rape comments last month.FULL POST

(CNN) – Embattled Rep. Todd Akin, who on Tuesday repeated his decision to remain in Missouri's battle for U.S. Senate, said in an interview published Thursday his opponent, Democratic incumbent Sen. Claire McCaskill, was more "ladylike" in her 2006 election than she is this time around.

According to the Kansas City Star, Akin claimed McCaskill's demeanor at last week's debate indicated she was nervous about remaining in office.FULL POST

On Tuesday – the last day Akin could legally request his name be removed from the November ballot – the congressman set out on a bus tour of the state. His move defied calls from a number of Republicans and GOP groups - including his state's Republican party - to quit the race, concerned his continued candidacy would challenge their chances of winning control of the Senate.FULL POST